Locked up in a lonely cell, deprived of your liberty: many people suffered this fate, and worse, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In the Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel, a former prison, pupils will learn how vulnerable freedom can be if the Dutch constitutional state comes under threat.

The museum is developing a new educational programme for the former prison. Pupils enter the cells in small groups. Inside, they hear the stories of prisoners who were locked up during the German occupation. In an interactive experience incorporating sound, light and objects, visitors witness the harsh reality of life in the cells and the everyday activities of prisoners and guards. Spending half an hour in a cell gives visitors a sense of how dark, cramped and lonely it is. Pupils learn about the fragility of the Dutch constitutional state during the totalitarian Nazi regime and how it acted to limit people’s freedom.